This is the entry on the Górale from the Słownik geograficzny Królestwa
Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Volume 2, pp. 693-697.
The author is described in the Słownik as a teacher at St. Anna’s
gimnazjum [middle or high school] in Kraków; he wrote a number
of entries for the Słownik, including the one on Galicia that
appeared in
the August 1996 Rodziny. This translation is by William F. Hoffman,
with special thanks to Walter Maksimovich of www.lemko.org for help
with several
terms.

If you have any connections to southern or southeastern Poland, chances
are you will find at least some information here useful. If you don’t
have any roots in that part of the country, rare indeed is the person with
Polish blood who doesn’t find the górale fascinating!

Górale, a general name for people living in the
mountains, whether in Poland or in other countries.

I. The borders of the area inhabited by the highlanders [of Poland].
On the south the border of highlander settlements is the ridge
of the Carpathians,
which divides waters flowing north and east onto the Sarmatian
lowland from waters flowing south to the Hungarian lowland. To
the north
highlander settlements do not go at any point beyond the last towering
range of mountains
connected with the foothills or with the adjacent northern plains.
On the west and east every area inhabited by a highlander clan
is set off by mountainous
divides from the neighboring area inhabited by another clan.

II. Classification. In the mountains nature separates precisely
valleys and the regions between the mountains with more or less
accessible
divisions; thus it does not unite the peoples, but rather divides
them. One can ascribe
to this fact the great variety of highlander clans, which are characterized
by their lack of interming-ling. They are as follows:

1) The Jabłonkowianie, or Silesian highlanders, who occupy the
northern slopes of the Silesian Beskids, or Jabłonkowskie Mountains,
from
the sources of the Ostrawica as it flows into the Odra [Oder] up
to the
source and
heights of the Wisła [Vistula]; that is where our Carpathian góralszczyzna begins on the west.

2) the Żywczaki, settled in the densely populated valley of the
Soła and Koszarzawa, who take their name from their capital, the
town of Żywiec.

3) the Babiogórcy, who settled in the valley of the upper Skawa,
on the northern slopes of Babia góra and Pilsko, who thus live as
neighbors of the Żywczaki. As Żywiec is the capital of the Żywczaki,
so Jordanów is the capital of the Babiogórcy, as they
are called.

4) East of the latter, in the valley of the upper Raba, along both
sides, live the Rabczanie or Zagórzanie. They are called
that because, whether we approach their settlements from the
south, from the Nowy Targ
valley, or from the north, from the plains of the Wisła,
their settlements always lie za góra [beyond the mountain].

5) Below the settlements of the Rabczanie, near Lubień and Pcim,
live the Kliszczaki, or the Highlanders from Łętownia.

6) The northern slope of the Tatra mountains as far as the Nowy
Targ valley is occupied by the so called Podhalanie, because
when asked by an outsider “Where
are you from, Highlander?” he proudly answers “Z
hal” [“from
the hali,” mountain pastures]. Thus the name.

7) The Nowy Targ valley, that is, the area between the Podhalanie
and the Zagórzanie and Babiogórcy, is occuped by the settlements
of the Nowotarżanie. They are also called Highlanders from Nowy Targ [Nowotarżanie
= “ones from Nowy Targ”].

8) East of the Nowotarżanie, where the Nowy Targ valley narrows
into the Pieniny ravine, the Pieniny highlanders settled along
the gap of
the Dunajec
as far as Łącko; they are also called the highlanders from Krosścienko
[on the Dunajec], which is the central point of this highlander clan.
This clan is the transitional link between the highlanders of Podhale
and Nowy
Targ and

9) the highlanders of Sącz [also called Sandeczanie, from
an older form of the name Sącz as seen in the names of
the towns Nowy Sącz
and Stary
Sącz], who live in the Sącz valley at the confluence
of the Dunajec, Poprad and Kamienica, going as far down as
to Zbyszyce. The neighboring
highlanders from the high mountains call them the Równiacy
[people of the plains], because they occupied a large valley
situated in the backwoods
of the mountains, and in their lifestyle they are closer to
the people of the równiny [plains].

10) The basins of the upper Poprad and the adjacent divisions in
the areas of Szlachtowa and Piwniczna up to Rytro past the
course of the
Poprad,
and subsequently the entire heights of the Kamienia and upper
Biała as far as Grybów, are occupied by the highlanders
whom we call Spiżacy because of the bordering Spiż region
[this region, called Spisz in modern Polish, is now mostly
in northern Slovakia, and is called Spis¹ in Slovakian]. They
also call themselves the Gardłaki. Their
central meeting point is Muszyna and Tylicz.

11) The whole area of the lower Beskids from the sources of the
Ropa to the sources of the San is inhabited by the Czuhońcy
(Czuchońcy)
or Kurtacy, who are called that from the short outfit and upper
jacket which they call the czuhoń. The small towns of Żmigród,
Dukla, Jaśliska, Bukowsko and Baligród lie within
the borders of the area occupied by this highlander clan.
Most likely in ancient times
this clan, along with the Spiżacy, crossed the ridge of
the Beskids from the southern (Hungarian) slopes of the Carpathians
to this area. They are
also called the highlanders of Sanok or the Łemkos, from
the adverb łem, which they use in the meaning “only.” They
call themselves Rusnacy.

12) In the high divides in the bend of the Wisłok, in ten villages
from Gwożdzianka to Czarnorzeki, live high-landers whose dress and customs
are like those of the Kurtacy [the plural form Kurtaki is
also seen], but
they nonetheless form a separate clan, which is said to have originated
with Cossack prisoners of war who settled in this formerly empty region.
Their settlements are as follows: Blizianka, Gwożdzianka, Krasna,
Bonarówka, Oparówka, Rzepnik, Wola Pietrusza, Bratkówka,
Węglówka and Czarnorzeki.

13) Also formerly empty, the mountain sections between the high
point of the San and Dniestr rivers is populated today by the
so-called Wallachian settlements, in which, beginning in the 14th century,
actual Wallachians
settled, but now another population has settled on terms of
Wallachian
law. Some of these settlements preserve traits of their original
ethnicity; others have taken on the characteristics of the
neighboring highlanders,
depending on how near they lie to the settlements of the Czuchońcy
to the west or the Bojkos to the east. In terms of ancestral
traits there are today Wallachian settlements of Slovenian
and Podgórzanie origin.
Some of their villages actually lie on the aforesaid borderland
and can be numbered among the highlanders’ settlements;
that is why they are included here. Other settlements are farther
north and belong under
a descrip-tion of Podgórze [literally “foothills,” according
to the Nowa encylopedia powszechna PWN the name given to territory
south of Kraków and east of the Wisła that came
under Austrian rule in 1815, of which the administrative center
was
Podgórze, which was
later incorporated into the city of Kraków]. The
borderland was settled much later and only when it had to be,
due to the
fact that here
nature itself raised a border between the Czuhonńcy and
Bojkos with the ridge of the Sanok mountain pastures. The original
inhabitants, having
enough fertile land in the valleys, felt no need to advance
into the unused mountains. Our people do not have the courage
to fight with nature, and
these regions were populated only due to the power of Polish
institutions when those institutions were influencing the expansion
of the populace.
The Wallachian settlements, both of the highlanders and of
Podgórze,
according to Wincenty Pol, are the following: a) in Sanok county:
Tyrawa wołoska, Królik wołoski, Puławy, Darów,
Surowica, Moszczaniec, Jawornik, Czystohorb, Komanńcza,
Turzańsk, Duszatyn and Mików;
b) in Lisko county: Łupków, Smolnik, Wola michowa, Maniów,
Balnica, Szczerbanówka, Solinka, Wetlina, Smerek, Jaworzec,
Tworylne, Serednie małe, Polana, Skorodne, Roselin, Rosochate,
Lutowiska, Krywka,
Żurawin, Smolnik (another one), Procisne, Dwernik, Chmiel,
Ruskie, Zatwarnica, Hulski, Krywe, Berehy dolne, Strwiążyk,
Nanowa, Ustrzyki dolne and Ustrzyki
górne, and Stuposiany; c) finally, in Turka county:
Boberka, Dydiowa, Łokieć, Szandrowiec, Dźwiniacz
górny, Tarnawa niźnia
and Tarnawa wyźnia, Sokoliki, Bukowiec, and Beniowa
[a number of these communities are now across the border
in western Ukraine].

14) The next highlander clan are the Bojkos; they occupied the
High Beskids from the sources of the Dniestr as far as the Świca. They also are
called Wierzchowińcy (Verkhovyntsi) from the land they inhabit. [These
terms mean “highlanders, mountaineers” in Polish
and Ukrainian, respectively; the language of the Bojkos is similar
to Ukrainian].
(See Bojki).

15) Among the Bojkos, in the area of the Opor and Orawa rivers,
in the region called Tucholszczyna, the small and very old clan
of the
Tucholcy
settled. In the borders of the settlements of Bojkos and Tucholcy
lie the towns of Turka and Skole [now in Ukraine].

16) The final highlander clan on the northern slope of the eastern
flank of the Carpathian range are the Hutsuls [in Polish
Huculi],
who also
proudly call themselves Czarnogórcy from the highest peak of
their mountains. This is one of the bravest highlander clans, and the
borders
of their settlements
cross the border of Galicia and extend as far as to Bukovina and Hungary.

III. A more general division, according to Wincenty Pol, is the
following: a) the highlander land of the western flank of the
Carpathians; b)
the highlander land of the central Beskids; and c) the highlander
land of
the eastern flank of the Carpathians. Wincenty Pol includes
among highlanders of the western flank of the Carpathians the Jabłonkowianie,
Podhalanie,
Nowotarżanie, Pieniny Highlanders, Sandeczanie [i.
e., those of the Sącz
area], Żywczaki, Babiogórcy, Zagórzanie, and
Kliszczaki; to the highlanders of the central Beskids belong
the Spiżacy and Czuhońcy;
to those of the eastern flank belong the Bojkos, Tucholcy,
and Hutsuls.

IV. Area. The whole highlander settle-ment area on the northern
slopes of the Carpathians occupies over 400 square milas
[one Austrian mila
= 7.585937 km]. The western highlander area covers 8 towns,
i. e., Żywiec, Maków, Jordanów, Nowytarg, Kros´cienko,
Nowy Sącz,
Stary Sącz, and Tymbark, and 403 villages. The Jabłonkowianie
lands have a total of 13 villages; the Żywczaki occupy
76 villages; the Babiogórcy
40; the Zagórzanie 42; the Kliszczaki 14; the Podhalanie
27; the Nowotarz²anie 31; the Pieniny Highlanders 21; and the
Sandeczanie 139.
The highlander area of the central Beskids has 6 towns, i.
e., Tylicz, Jaśliska, Baligród, Bukowsko, Dukla,
and Żmigród,
and 304 villages, of which the Spiżacy have 33, and the
rest, 271, belong to the Kurtacy. Finally, the eastern highlander
area has 6 towns and 188
villages; the Bojkos occupy the most, 81 villages and 2 towns,
in the deanery of Wysoczany; the Tucholcy occupy 26 villages,
and the Hutsuls 2 towns
in the deanery of Nadwórna [Nadvirna, Ukraine], one
in Pistyń [Pistyn’,
Ukraine] and 1 in Kossów [Kosiv, Ukraine]; so in the
whole area the highlanders have settled in 24 towns and small
towns, and 895 villages.

V. Population. According to Pol the whole highlander area has 594,712
souls (as of 1851), of which 317,641 live in the western part,
130,429 in the
central Beskids, and 146,642 in the eastern part. In the western
part the largest group is the Żywczaki clan, numbering
72,912 souls, and
the smallest
are the Kliszczacy with 17,309; after that come the Pieniny
High-landers with 18,809; the Jabłonkowianie (22,000?),
the Podhalanie with 22,302, the Nowotarz²anie with 29,115,
the Zagórzanie with 36,935, the Sandeczanie
with 46,924, and the Babiogórcy with 51,335. In the
central highlander area the Spiżacy clan number 20,530,
and the Czuhońcy 109,899.
In the eastern area there are 73,676 Hutsuls, 57,553 Bojkos,
and 15,413 Tucholcy. The western highlander area belongs to
the Roman Catholic rite,
but those of the central and eastern areas are Greek Catholic.
Among the Hutsuls in the deaneries of Nadwórna, Pistyń and
Kossow, however, are 1,405 Roman Catholics; and finally the
Hutsuls who inhabit
Bukowina in Dołhopole [Dovhopole, Ukraine] deanery belong primarily
to the Greek rite.

VI. General characteristics of the high-lander region. Highlander
settlements are usually widely scattered, because their farms,
with gardens and
land around them, are often several hectares from each other.
Their cabins
are generally neater than those of the people of the plains.
The highlanders build them with logs and roof them with tile and lathing.
They don’t
use clay, plaster and whitening at all, because they have no
lime; but they do have plenty of wood. They fill in gaps between
joists with
moss,
and they wash the smooth-hewn walls on the inside like floors.
Chimneys are a very rare phenomenon among them; they generally
conduct smoke
up to the loft, where it exits through openings in the roof.
In some areas
they put covered porches on the fronts of their cabins to shelter
them from snowstorms.
Their dress is generally short and tight-fitting, but light and
warm, adapted to the sharp climate and difficult climbing among
the mountains.
The highlander
puts on a short gunia (hunia) [overcoat] of his own make over a
collarless linen shirt, and in winter adds a small coat. His head
is shaded
with long hair, usually flowing down to the shoulders, and is covered
with
a round
felt hat or cap, the style of which varies by region. He wears
a wide belt of hard leather, fastened with a long row of large
brass
buckles,
often
embroidered in various colors. He wears pants with clasps, of coarse
white fabric, the seams trimmed with colored string, and on his
feet are light,
soft kierpce [moccasins], which he secures with straps wrapped
tightly around his ankles. His bag, from which he is never separated,
hangs
from his shoulder on a strap generally adorned with tightly studded
brass
hobnails; in it he keeps supplies for the road and a short pipe,
sometimes also a
powder horn. A shotgun hanging from his other shoulder, and in
his hand a small ax, which some highlander clans, for instance
the Hutsuls,
can
use with amazing skill, complete the picturesque dress of the highlander
and gives his whole form an air of of reckless freedom and impudence.
The highlander women also wear moccasins, or on rare occasions
colored saffian
shoes, and wear overcoats and coats much like those of the men;
the women cover their heads with scarfs or white peremitki
[Ukr. term, “head-cloths”];
the girls weave their hair into braids. In some clans, namely the Ruthe-nian
highlanders, instead of pants the womenfolk use woolen aprons, which
they tie around their hips, and they ride horses and smoke pipes like
the men.

Living a hardy but free life, in the woods, mountain pastures and
alps, the highlanders are, with only a few exceptions (such
as the Spiżacy)
quite strong, muscular, slender in build, and are characterized
by their agility. More lively, more im-petuous and more daring
than the
people of
the plains, they are more prone to be carried away by passion,
are more easily inflamed with vengeance, and in their passion
often
commit bloody
crimes. The love of their wild freedom has often degenerated
to a lust for robbery, and to this day the highlanders still repeat
with
relish
tales of ancient ruffians and robbers and praise them in their
songs as heroes.
The highlanders compensate for these flaws, however, with
greater
self-respect than is usual among the people of the plains;
greater cleanliness in
their dress and dwelling; greater skill, swiftness and valor;
and finally with
a hospitality and openness charac-teristic of all their clans.
Happy in his lot and more often merry than sad, inured to cold
and want,
the highlander
is content for months at a time with an oatcake and ewe’s
whey; and he passionately loves his mountains, even though
there is cold and hunger
there, and he himself sings of them, “Biedna to, biedna
ta nasza kraina, gdzie chleb się kończy, a woda zaczyna” [Poor,
poor is our country, where the bread ends and the water begins].

Due to the lack of farmland and bread but an abundance of fodder,
the highlander is primarily a herdsman. Only as the mountains
rise lower and the slopes
are milder does he become part farmer; but he does not stop
raising cattle and sheep, which always provide his main income. The
crops
which the
thankless mountain fields yield reluctantly are not enough
to feed the local populace
for the whole year. Having really nothing other than his oats—in
some highlander regions called chleb [bread] for that reason—the
highlander must buy other kinds of seed in the plains and bring
them into the mountains, namely, rye; or, for the Hutsuls and
Kurtaki, corn and millet.
That’s where the Kurtaki saying comes from, “Tenderycia
najby sia rodyła, łem do nas by ne chodyła.” [“Let
the corn grow, as long as it doesn’t come here.” Walter
Maksimovich explains, “Corn
was looked down upon at the time, only used to supple-ment
edible grain, come springtime, when the rye, oats, and wheat
(a delicacy) have run out”].
To cover the resulting significant cost of provisions, they are
compelled to resort to various means of earning money, since
the income from
the animals in their barns does not always and everywhere suffice
for their
needs. So they work with picks, hammers, and wheelbarrows in
mines and forges; they work with axes and saws in forests; they work
producing shingles
and planks, matchsticks, dishes, wood furniture and ornamental
hatchets; they guide rafts when the waters are high, at which
they
distinguish
themselves by their skill and courage; they work at weaving;
some-times they even
leave the mountains in masses and go down to the valleys to
do mowing and harvesting; or to earn their bread more easily, they
conduct
transac-tions
with small amounts of capital, as the Bojkos do, or fix up
horsewagons and travel to far lands with knitting needles or kobza
[a stringed
musical instrument], as the highlanders of the western part
of the mountains do.
Thus need makes the highlanders more industrious and versatile
than the people of the plains. For detailed descriptions of
every highlander
clan,
see the appropriate entry.

VII. Physical characteristics. In the light of scientific research
people’s
physical characteristics as estimated by sight have often turned
out to be inadequate and even wrong. The scientific observations
of the Podhalanie
conducted due to the efforts of the anthropological commission
of the Akademia Umiejętności in Kraków have
indeed been partially extended to observa-tions of the neighboring
highlanders; since in many respects,
however, there are no prominent physical differences between
one group and another—and where there are differences,
they have been empha-sized—I
have extracted the most important details on the physical characteristics
either of the Podhalanie alone, or of those neighboring highlanders
taken together, from the comprehensive study, done with scientific
precision,
by Prof. Dr. J. Majer and Dr. Kopernicki, Charakterystyka
fizyczna ludności
galicyskiej [Physical Characteristics of the Galicia Populace] in
volume 1 (pp. 3-181), Zbiór wiadomości do antropologii
krajowej [Collection of information on the National Anthropology(Kraków,
1877) and I have compiled them in brief here. First and foremost
it must be men-tioned that the details excerpted below deal
with men 20–25
years in age.

1) The height of the Polish highlanders in general is 153.9–164.5
cm. [60.021–64.155 inches; multiply centimeters by 0.39 to get inches].
The highlanders of Nowy Targ county are 156.5–164.6 cm., and so are
absolutely average. The height of the western Podgórzanie (living
from the Soła to the Dunajec) is 157.9–163.2 cm.; for the eastern
Podgórzanie (from the Dunajec to the San) it is 160.2–164.7;
the height of inhabitants of the plains is 160.9–164.0; the height
of inhabitants of the lowlands is 159.5–165.0. To compare the
height of the highlanders and people of the plains with other European
peoples
one may use the following data: for Finns 161.7 cm.; east-ern Slavs
and Magyars, 163.1 cm.; the Swiss of Freiburg canton) 164.0 cm.; Romanians
165.7 cm.; the French 165.8; Russians 167.8 cm.; Germans 168.0 cm.;
Belgians
168.4 cm.; Danish 168.5 cm.; Irish 169.8 cm.; Swedes 170.0 cm.; English
170.8 cm.; Scots 171.2 cm.; Norwegians 172.7 cm.

2) Chest circumference among Podhalanie and Nowotarżanie measures
82.4–84.0,
altogether 83.3 cm. [32.5 inches]. Comparing measurements of abso-lute
breadth of chest of the Podhalanie with the highlanders of the eastern
Beskids, the latter were found to be 78.2–80.0 cm., and for the Podgórzanie
81.2–82.4 cm.

3) Skin color. In the study mentioned this is differentiated as:
a) biały [white] in the strict sense, that is,
flesh-white without any
tanning;
b) płowy [flaxen], more or less the tanned complexion
of our villagers; c) śniady [tawny], seen sometimes
with our dark-haired men, close to the so-called eastern complexion,
and typical to the highest degree
of Gypsies. In the county of Nowy Targ, of 188 persons, 67
were white, 55 flaxen, and 67 tawny; or expressed in terms
per 100 people, 35.1 had
white complexions, 29.3 flaxen, and 35.6 tawny. Or if one distinguishes
only two skin colors, light and dark, of every 100 people in
Nowy Targ county 50 had light-colored skin. Among the Podhalanie,
Nowotarżanie,
and Pieniny highlanders, the tawny complexion has the largest
number, but white is almost equal. Comparing the Podhalanie
with residents of other
geographic subdivisions of the western part of the land [Galicia] as
far as the San river, it was found that of 100 inhabitants,
those with light-colored
complexions were as follows: in Podhale 50, in the western
Beskids 70, in the eastern Beskids 49, in western Podgórze
64, in eastern Podgórze
67, in the plains 70, in the valleys 59, on the border with
Ruthenia 71.

4) Eye color. Assuming four colors—gray, green, blue and hazel—in
Nowy Targ county, out of 188 persons, 13 had gray eyes, 51 had green, 52
had blue, and 72 had hazel; in terms of percentages the numbers are 6.9,
27.1, 27.6 and 38.4. If we distinguish eye color only as light and dark,
in Podhale of every 100 persons 61 have light-colored eyes. Retaining the
same order as above, in the western Beskids, of 256 persons, the numbers
were 64, 86, 41 and 65, or in percentages 25.0, 33.6, 16.0, and 25.4. Comparing
the eye color of inhabitants of Podhale to the inhabitants of other geographic
subdivisions of the western part of the country as far as the San, of every
100 persons, the following have light-colored eyes: in Podhale 61, in the
western Beskids 74, in the eastern Beskids 73, in western Podgórze
68, in eastern Podgórze 71, in the plains as far as the San
80, in the valleys in the same region 68, and on the border with Ruthenia
79.

5) Hair color. If we distinguish four common hair colors—blond, szatyn
[chestnut], brunatny [brown] and czarny [black]—as well as two that
are rare among us, biało-lniany [white-flaxen] and rudy
[red], of 188 persons
in Nowy Targ county 65 were blond, 75 had chestnut hair, 17 had brown hair,
and 31 had black; or of every 100 persons, 34.6 were blond, 39.9 chestnut,
9.1 brown, 16.4 black. Going by geographic subdivisions of the western
part of the country as far as the San river, if we divide by hair color,
taking the two main colors, light and dark, of every 100 persons the following
had light-colored hair: in Podhale 56, in the western Beskids 80, in the
eastern Beskids 46, in western Podgórze 70, in eastern Podgórze
62, in the plains as far as the San 79, in the valleys 76, and on the
border with Ruthenia 53.
Altogether if we divide skin, eye and hair color into light and
dark as typical traits, and assuming these two colors, light and
dark,
of 188 persons
in Podhale 3 fell into the category of light, including flaxen,
and 32 were pure light, for a total of 35; or of every 100 people
18.6
fell into
the light category; 43, or 22.9%, fell into the dark category;
100, or 58.5%, were mixed. Among the Podhalanie the dark category
has
the greater
number.

7) As regards skull construction and form, among the Polish populace
in Galicia the brachycephalic type predominates [i. e.,
having a short, broad
head]; the highlanders have heads significantly wider than
the people of the plains in particular. The per-centages for every
skull shape,
beginning with the most elongated to the broadest, are as follows
among the highlanders:
those with long skulls 1.1, and elongated 2.6, for a total
of 3.7 dolichocephalic [with long heads]; intermediate 10.5; somewhat
short 37.5, and short 48.2,
for a total of 85.7 brachycephalic. It should be mentioned
that
the highlanders of the western Beskids and Podhalanie in particular
differ from those of
the eastern Beskids in that among the former the brachycephalic
are more common (85.7) than among the latter (80.4); it has
also been
observed that
the brachycephalic type, the most common one among the highlanders,
is encountered less often the closer one comes to the valleys
on the Wisła,
and also the farther east one advances into the area of the
Ruthenians [Rusyns].

8) In regard to forehead measurements we find that among the highlanders
average-size foreheads and occiputs are significantly more
common than wide and narrow ones, which are found among them in very
small
numbers.
The highlanders of the eastern Beskids, however, differ significantly
in this regard from the Podhalanie and highlanders of the western
Beskids, and are more like the inhabitants of the plains, among
whom, as opposed
to the highlanders, wide foreheads and occiputs are very common,
comprising one-eighth, while those with average foreheads and
occiputs scarcely
exceed half of the total observed among them. The percentages
of those with wide
foreheads and occiputs are as follows: among the highlanders
wide foreheads 9.5%, average 83.9%, narrow 7.1%; wide occiputs 12.0%,
average 80.1%,
narrow 7.8%; among Podgórzanie wide foreheads are 22.2%,
average 71.3%, 5.9% narrow; wide occiputs 24.1%, average 61.0%,
narrow 14.8%;
among those
living on the Wisła wide foreheads constitute 37.1%, average
62.4%, narrow 0; wide occiputs 86.6%, average 11.1%, narrow
2.2%. The highlanders
have
foreheads somewhat narrower and occiputs some-what wider than
the people of the plains, so that among the former the traits
men-tioned predominate,
especially among the highlanders of the eastern Beskids. This
percentage among the people of the plains is as follows; wide
foreheads 22.4%,
average 68.6%, narrow 8.5%; wide occiputs 30.7%, average 56.5%,
and narrow 13.2%.

9) As regards facial structure, facial length among the people
of the plains is somewhat larger than among the highlanders.
The highlanders
of the
western Beskids and the Podhalanie have some-what longer faces
than their neighbors of the eastern Beskids. Facial width is
significantly greater
among the highlanders than among the people of the plains,
and among
the highlanders of the western Beskids it is greater than among
those of the
eastern Beskids. Facial form turns out to be significantly
longer among the people of the plains (102) than among the highlanders
(94). Among
the Podhalanie and highlanders of the western Beskids on the
one
hand, and those of the eastern Beskids on the other, there
is almost no difference,
as both the former and latter have round faces (93.8% and 94.4%).
Among the highlanders 4.2% have long faces, 5.3% elongated,
for a total of
9.5% with long faces; 5.6% have oval faces; 36.9% have round
faces; 48.0% have wide faces, for a total of 84.9% wide.

10) Finally, as regards nose shape, four types are distinguished:
aquiline, straight, flat, and upturned [i. e., snub-nosed]. Among
the highlanders
straight noses pre-dominate, as there are 5.0% with aquiline noses,
68.7% with straight, 11.3% with flat, and 14.5% with upturned.
According to the observations made so far one may characterize
the highlanders in the western stretch of the country, as far as
the
San, as follows: the
highlanders have short heads, or shortish; they have average foreheads
and occiputs, wide and narrow ones being quite rare; their faces
are usually wide or round, with oval or long faces rare; the nose
is straight, some-times
flat or upturned, very rarely aquiline.

Translator’s Note—In this entry Gustawicz used the term górale
to refer to highlanders living all throughout south-central and southeastern
Poland, on into what is now western Ukraine. He specifi-cally included
the related but distinct Slavic groups living in the Carpathians of western
Ukraine, such as the Hutsuls, Lemkos, and Bojkos, among the rody góralskie, “highlander
clans.”

But Walter Maksimovich of www.lemko.org points
out, “The term góral
only applies to the Polish highlanders of Nowy Targ/Zakopane. Hutsuls,
etc. are not Polish highlanders, therefore not górale. So I would
use ‘highlander’ as a general term, not góral.”

That is why I have translated góral as “highlander” throughout
this entry. I think in modern Polish, especially, when people say górale
they’re referring to the highlanders of southcentral and southeastern
Poland, not the Hutsuls, Lemkos, Bojkos, etc. It is worth keeping in mind
that those groups would probably not appreciate being lumped in together
with the Polish highlanders. They are highlanders—but they’re
not Poles!]

Here are a few English-language Websites with info on the górale:
http://www.dolina.org/gorale.htm
http://www.indiana.edu/~polishst/news/springweb2001.pdf
http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/dance/goralski.html#costumes
http://www.poloniawchicago.com/ap/zwiazekpodhalan.htm

You can find many more by using any good Web search engine to look
for pages with terms such as “goral,” “Polish Highlander,” “Tatras,” “Beskids”, “Podhalans,” “Lemkos,” and
so on.